Blog — "cards"

As I was cooking up another fabulous dinner the other night, it dawned upon me that there was something missing from my collection-- recipe cards! It seemed so obvious and I couldn't believe that I had not previously thought about designing some fun little cards to organize my recipes! Really it only seemed natural that this sort of thing should be created. So I spent a day home sick with a nasty sinus infection designing these quite stylishly modern recipe cards.

So far they have been a hit! I only listed them on my Etsy shop yesterday and I sold a set of the Avocado recipe cards and many people have expressed interest in them. They were really quite fun to design! With the avocado colored cards, I kept in mind colors of the kitchen (notably the greens and browns of the avocado). I like these the best of the two sets I created and am looking forward to designing more food color inspired recipe cards. I am thinking eggplant, butternut squash, strawberry, and other such rich and vibrant colors.


Last time I wrote about starting on a new set of wine corks. That is still in the works. It seems at times my creative juices begin flowing so much that I get caught up in new ideas. The wine corks will be made as I was happy with the original few that I made in December. It may just take a while longer than expected to get back on track with my project schedule! But in the end, I guess that is the fun of such creative endeavors-- the ability to stem from one project to the next. For now, I'll be designing more recipe cards tonight, and be using them in my kitchen tomorrow.

My crafting tools and a handmade envelope.

Yes, I am in the dark age when it comes to my crafting of cards. I am at the top of my game when it comes to design software, computers, and printers. But way far behind when it comes to the tools I use to create the final product. I design, then print, and then yes, I hand cut all of my cards. You may say that doesn't sound unrealistic because paper trimmers are quick and easy to use. Paper trimmers? What are you talking about? They make stuff for that?!

No paper trimmers here. Just a cutting mat, an X-acto, and a craft ruler (you know, one of those see through rulers with all of those wonderful measurements on it). And luckily, after having worked on this hobby for some time, I haven't chopped off any fingers or had any trips to the emergency room. So here I am, printing off my designs which takes no time at all. Then next I head over to my drafting table and start cutting-- which takes FOREVER. I became even more frustrated as I ruined three consecutive sheets of cardstock while making teal envelopes for my new NYC Map Note Cards.

NYC Map Note Cards

It did not even cross my mind that there just might be some tools out there to make life a little bit simpler until I came across this at Michael's the other day. Of course I knew that paper trimmers existed-- as a teacher, I use one almost every day at school. But for whatever reason, I did not think about purchasing one for my crafting purposes. Anyway, I'm not going to lie, although the paper trimmer that I saw at Michael's was sort of what I want, I would love something larger that could accommodate large photos as well and would gladly take recommendations! And while I was quite happy with the final outcome of my envelopes as cards that I had made, my level of frustration would certainly have been lower had it been for a darn paper trimmer!

Just for the record, in case you didn't know, I love music.  Oh, and I also make cards. Today I was doing both and came up with these fun ones that'd be perfect for any serious music lover! I was listening to Baltimore based band The Bridge this morning while sipping away at my coffee, of course! And as I begin designing, I came up with this sort of High Fidelity-like design. Why High Fidelity, you might ask? Well simply because Rob, the main character, is obsessed with vinyl and music-- a music snob at the least. Plus, High Fidelity is only my favorite book and only written by my favorite author, Nick Hornby. And so it is, my favorite design of the moment was created.

Now to go back to another important item on the list. I mentioned listening to The Bridge. I had not listened to them a whole lot-- only here and there. However, they are expecting a new album out on February 1st and they have been getting all sorts of airplay on my favorite radio station WTMD. So naturally I wanted to check out the album. The new album is called National Bohemian, no doubt after Natty Boh, our beloved Baltimore beer. It is produced by Steve Berlin of Los Lobos, another fabulous band that is an absolute must to include in your music repertoire. Currently, The Bridge are streaming the full album on their website. Enjoy!